FEATURE : DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY
With CIOs being urged to master , understand and embrace the current digital disruption , it is critical that they look at IT as a enabler of business rather than as a distraction .
Dinesh Varadharajan , Chief Product Officer , Kissflow
Rawad Darwich , Regional Sales Manager , GCC , Network Solutions Sales , said Keysight Technologies , said CIOs must be intuitive and keep a pulse on the changing business and technological environment to flourish in the digital disruption era . Darwich said a firm ’ s success can be attributed to a leader who can make decisions based on market trends .
“ If they can accomplish this , their organisations will flourish , be able to outperform competitors , and earnings may far exceed expectations . CIOs should embrace a growth attitude as well . This includes embracing scaled agility , fostering cross-functional cooperation , and ensuring that new technologies coexist with current systems . To succeed in a competitive market , it is necessary to have a transparent digital disruption plan highlighting the benefits , opportunities , and value it will provide According to Ranjan , when one looks at the countries such as UAE , Saudi Arabia or Bahrain , majority of the digital initiatives are led by the government .
“ This is very unique for the Middle East region where government is at the forefront of bringing digital disruption and private sector follows the path . When there is a strong support from the country ’ s leaderships in embracing disruptive technology , willingness to make necessary regulatory changes to welcome technology providers to thrive , and a long-term vision to showcase a success path for other sectors to follow , the pace of innovation and economic growth become much faster . And this is precisely what we have witnessed in many Middle East countries where government is leading the Digital Transformation and modernising their overall infrastructure to offer better citizen services ,” he said .
With advances in disruptive technology transforming life , business , and the regional economy in the Middle East , it ’ s important that CIOs and their IT teams stay abreast with the latest trends .
Dinesh Varadharajan , Chief Product Officer , Kissflow , said disruptive technologies are what will enable the ongoing evolution of regional economies from being petroleum-based , to knowledge and services-based . “ For example , one of the key enablers of the digital economy is a robust pool of technical skill sets . But across the globe , the number of coders falls woefully short of requirements . With solutions such as Low-code and No-code , enterprises can effectively transform their non-IT staff into a capable pool of ‘ citizen developers ’.
This challenges the IT-driven approach to innovation which has been the industry norm and the impact of such disruptive technology is that it enables the rapid development of applications that streamline business processes , and automate repetitive functions , and allow humans to focus on innovation .
Nasri Nassereddine , Regional Sales Director , Software AG in Gulf and Levant , said present time CIOs are warriors as they need to elevate and transform the company framework , processes and systems to match
the pace of the rapid changes in the industry and the region . Nassereddine said there is a wide gap in the thought process of present-day tech professionals versus the younger generation . Therefore , he added , it is imperative that CIOs embrace young talent and equip them to lead their predicted futuristic disruptive ideas .
“ Smart cities were considered a hype not so long ago , but it is the present-day reality as we live most of our lives omni-channel . There is heightened focus on technologies such as robotics , AI and more . This explosion of devices pushes CIOs to focus on nanotechnology that will lead to the emergence of newer devices , structures as well as materials to create new digital experiences and greater impact on the society ,” he said .
Nassereddine said it is imperative for CIOs to align their strategies and priorities with leadership goals , such as , Dubai ’ s goals of creating Dubai a happier place with smart living . CIOs should no longer be myopic but must aim to become a contributor to this global revolution and integrate across the board .
Ranjan added that technology alone cannot solve every business problem . “ Before selecting any disruptive solution , CIOs need to understand their current and future business needs , determine what exactly they want to achieve , do a due diligence of the risks associated , partner with right technology provider to help them with successful implementation .” p
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